July Favourites

I'll spare the usual, end of the month, reflective prose today and instead focus on something else. This post marks 900 blog posts, written (almost) entirely by me. There's one or two guest posts lurking in the archives. 900 posts though guys, that's a mammoth number to my mind and an awful lot of words. I'm in a bit of a state of disbelief if you can't tell already. Thanks to everyone who reads and has kept me inspired to keep posting for this long. You're all amazing. Anyway, here's what I've loved in July...

Benefit Cosmetics 'ka-Brow' Buildable Brow Colour*-I've been loving a few different brow products from various brands this month but ka-Brow is the one I've been using the most. It's already been featured here this month so I'll keep things brief. This is the best when you want your brows to look a bit sharper, but not to the point of looking drawn on or fake. It comes with its own built-in brush which is actually not a gimmick, rare I know, so it is perfect for on the go touchups too.

The First Monday in May-This was shown at the NZIFF and since I watched it I've been thinking about it almost daily. That's no exaggeration, I've already decided I'm going back to the regular cinema to watch it when it opens there. For those not in the know, this documentary charts the year (possibly longer) in the making of the Metropolitan Museum Costume Institute's annual fashion exhibit+the Met Gala they organise in collaboration with Vogue. Anna Wintour has a starring role but the true star of this is Andrew Bolton, the head curator at the Met. He is amazing and the absolute detail+devotion he has to all areas of fashion was something else. It's a really in-depth insight into the level of work that goes into a major exhibition. It also really highlights the significance of the Met Gala as well. This is such a fascinating, unmissable film. Go watch it if you can.

Zoella Beauty Le Fizz Fragranced Bath Fizzer-Zoe's expanded her bath+body product range to include this scent, inspired by French patisseries and sweet treats. Don't let that put you off because it is sweet, but with a sophisticated edge so it's not overpoweringly sickly. Her bath fizzers are shaped like chocolate bars with the idea being you break off a square or two and drop them in your water when you want a bit of a pamper. I like to combine this with the Comforter bath bar from Lush and it is heavenly. The bathroom smells like Macarons after. Blissful.

Lancome Grandiose Mascara*-Once I got past this mascara's crazy wand this became a firm favourite. I think the reason I love it so much is it has one of those brushes you can swivel in a 360 degree motion and really coat your lashes from the root to the tip. It holds a curl, even without using a eyelash curler and it makes your lashes look amazing. It's worth all the heart-eyed emojis. All of them.

Just Kids by Patti Smith-So it kinda took me a while to read this book but once I got into it properly it was rightfully devoured. I'm sure a lot of people have read, or at least heard of this book. It seems to be one that gets referenced by creative people in interviews quite a bit. It tells the story of Patti Smith and Robert Mapplethorpe's relationship. It starts with them both as young creatives and struggling artists, making their way in New York in the late sixties through to his death in 1989. It's nostalgic, poetic and just so captivating. There's something quite mesmerising about it. I highly recommend you give it a read.

Viktor and Rolf Flowerbomb, I won it on Twitter ages ago-By some sort of crazy coincidence, this was in my July Favourites last year as well. It must be my go-to Wintour Winter fragrance or something. I'm sure you're all familiar with this fragrance by now, it's such an iconic scent. A little musk, a little floral with the tiniest hint of sweetness. I love it and none of my other perfumes have had a look in this month.